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Thousands Of Indiana Residents To Lose Food Stamp Benefits

Nearly 50,000 Indiana residents have lost their qualifications for food stamps after a change to the government program. According to Fox 59, Indiana removed the provision that allowed adults without children to receive food stamps while unemployed. The provision was added after the recession in 2008, but was removed earlier this year after legislators deemed the economy had returned to a stable status. Those looking for food stamps in the state must now meet the requirements of the 1996 federal welfare reform law, the Huffington Post reports.

Unsurprisingly, the slash to the food stamps program is being praised by Republicans. State Senator Jim Merritt (R — Indianapolis) voiced his support for the change to the law. “These are folks that should be out in the workforce that should be looking for work,” Merritt said, according to Fox 59. “These are able-bodied people who don’t have dependents and we need to make sure that we encourage them to look for work, find education, and monitor them.”

Finding work, even in an economy that’s improved since 2008, is still difficult. It’s highly unlikely that the approximately 50,000 Indiana residents who were receiving benefits in the food stamp program were not looking for a job. While Republicans may view the change in the law as a way to save money while encouraging citizens to find jobs, the reality of the situation is much more complex. All that it means, regardless of your political views, is that 50,000 residents are going to have a much harder time finding a meal moving forward.

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